Washington, DC (June 12, 2015) – The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation announces the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors, to serve three-year terms. Joining the Board of Directors are Virginia Barry, Loren Blanchard, and Mary Cathryn Ricker.

“We are very pleased to welcome these three outstanding education leaders to the board. The breadth, depth, and diversity of their experience will strengthen CAEP. Each of them has a reputation for collaborative leadership – a CAEP value,” said Mary Brabeck, CAEP Board Chair.

Virginia Barry currently serves the state of New Hampshire as the Commissioner of Education. Barry has over 30 years of experience in education as a teacher, leader, tenured university professor, and provost and vice president for academic affairs. As Commissioner, she is directly responsible for school administrative units and instructional services to all public schools in New Hampshire.

Loren Blanchard is the Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at Xavier University of Louisiana until July 2015, when he joins the California State University system as the Executive Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs. At CSU, Blanchard will lead the system’s Graduation Initiative, which aims to increase student success rates. Blanchard is widely published and is known for his research and scholarly articles addressing teacher education and educational strategies to support the success of students of color.

Mary Cathryn Ricker serves as Executive Vice President at the American Federation of Teachers. Ricker has taught in classrooms in Minnesota, Washington, and South Korea. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and serves on the board of directors for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. A champion of innovative, teacher-built solutions, Ricker is devoted to strengthening public education.

CAEP also expresses its thanks for dedicated service to the CAEP Board to two board members who are no longer serving, Deborah Gist, RI State Commissioner of Education and Randi Weingarten, AFT President.

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEPnet.org) advances excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning.